1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a shift lever device whose shift position is changed as a result of a shift lever being operated.
2. Related Art
There is a shift lever device where an electromagnet holding member and an attraction plate holding member are rotatable with their centers of rotation being identical and where an electromagnet is held in the electromagnet holding member and an attraction plate is held in the attraction plate holding member (e.g., see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2007-22375).
In this shift lever device, the electromagnet holding member and the attraction plate holding member are energized toward initial rotation position sides by an electromagnet energizing member and an attraction plate energizing member, respectively, the attraction plate holding member is stopped in its initial rotation position, and the electromagnet holding member is stopped in its initial rotation position as a result of the electromagnet contacting the attraction plate.
When a shift lever is operated from a “P” shift position, a rotational force is inputted from the shift lever to the electromagnet holding member, and the electromagnet holding member is rotated counter to the energizing force of the electromagnet energizing member.
In a state where the electromagnet does not produce a magnetic force and does not attract the attraction plate, the attraction plate holding member is not rotated even when the electromagnet holding member is rotated. Thus, the attraction plate holding member blocks operation of the shift lever, whereby operation of the shift lever from the “P” shift position is blocked.
Thereafter, when the shift lever is operated (returned) to the “P” shift position, the electromagnet holding member is rotated by the energizing force of the electromagnet energizing member and is returned to (stopped in) its initial rotation position as a result of the electromagnet making contact with the attraction plate.
On the other hand, in a state where the electromagnet produces a magnetic force and attracts the attraction plate, the attraction plate holding member is rotated counter to the energizing force of the attraction plate energizing member integrally with the rotation of the electromagnet holding member. Thus, the attraction plate holding member allows operation of the shift lever, whereby operation of the shift lever from the “P” shift position is allowed.
Further, after operation of the shift lever from the “P” shift position has been allowed, the electromagnet holding member and the attraction plate holding member are rotated by the energizing force of the electromagnet energizing member and the attraction plate energizing member, respectively, and are returned to (stopped in) their initial rotation position.
However, in this shift lever device, the electromagnet holding member that holds the electromagnet is rotatable as described above. For this reason, it is necessary to increase the energizing force of the electromagnet energizing member for causing the electromagnet holding member to return to its initial rotation position, and the stopping sound when the electromagnet holding member is returned to its initial rotation position (the sound of the electromagnet making contact with the attraction plate) increases.
Moreover, when the shift lever is operated at a high speed from the “P” shift position and a large rotational force is inputted from the shift lever to the electromagnet holding member, the inertial force of the electromagnet holding member increases because the electromagnet is held in the electromagnet holding member as described above. For this reason, even when the inertial force of the electromagnet holding member is large, it is necessary to increase the magnetic force produced by the electromagnet in order for the electromagnet to attract the attraction plate and cause the attraction plate holding member to rotate integrally with the electromagnet holding member (allow operation of the shift lever from the “P” shift position). Thus, the electromagnet grows in size, and the cost and mass of the electromagnet increase. Further, as a result of the mass of the electromagnet increasing, it is necessary to increase even more the energizing force of the electromagnet energizing member for causing the electromagnet holding member to return to its initial rotation position, and the stopping sound when the electromagnet holding member is returned to its initial rotation position (the sound of the electromagnet making contact with the attraction plate) increases even more.
Moreover, when the magnetic force produced by the electromagnet is increased as described above, the magnetic force remaining in the electromagnet immediately after the electromagnet has been switched from the state where it attracts the attraction plate to the state where it does not attract the attraction plate increases. For this reason, even when the shift lever is operated from the “P” shift position in a state where the magnetic force remaining in the electromagnet is large, it is necessary to increase the energizing force of the attraction plate energizing member that energizes the attraction plate holding member in order for the attraction plate holding member to not be rotated integrally with the electromagnet holding member (block operation of the shift lever from the “P” shift position). Thus, the stopping sound when the attraction plate holding member is returned to its initial rotation position becomes larger.
Further, even when the energizing force of the attraction plate energizing member that energizes the attraction plate holding member has been increased as described above, it is necessary to increase even more the magnetic force produced by the electromagnet in order for the electromagnet to attract the attraction plate and cause the attraction plate holding member to rotate integrally with the electromagnet holding member (allow operation of the shift lever from the “P” shift position). Thus, the electromagnet grows in size even more, and the cost and mass of the electromagnet increase even more. Further, as a result of the mass of the electromagnet increasing even more, it is necessary to further increase even more the energizing force of the electromagnet energizing member for causing the electromagnet holding member to return to its initial rotation position, and the stopping sound when the electromagnet holding member is returned to its initial rotation position (the sound of the electromagnet making contact with the attraction plate) further increases even more.